Cornelius Vanderbilt Research Paper

Cornelius was an important and improving professional person, the only concept he lacked in was anything dealing with family. Cornelius was often portrayed as a successful businessman with a perfect life which included a loving family this is where they were often strayed in the wrong direction. Cornelius was self-absorbed and greedy and his family and his closes friends are the only ones who got to see this side. The New York Central railroad was his greatest invention and was the reason he was known for during the Gilded Age. Vanderbilt was born poor and had little education but, he quit school to work with his father and within his first year he made $1,000 dollars. Cornelius used aggressive marketing, shrewd deals, and undercutting the

He was a successful philanthropist but, he lacked in family relations. Cornelius cared only for himself and the money, he often refused to pass his fortune along to charity his charity mainly matched his infamous statement "The public be damned" but, Cornelius second wife Frank convinced him to give 1 million dollars to the Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt only left less than a third of his money to his family and lands he owned.Cornelius was a self-made who made a business from three different jobs, A ferryman, A steamboat captain, and the main business he was remembered for was the building of the railroad track that led from New York to Chicago. Cornelius was a successful businessman and everyone knew it ,"He is striking at everything. I am afraid of this man" Thomas Gibbons, December 12, 1822 also William Gibb McNeill, November 14, 1840 said "I'd sooner have him with us, than against us. Most people only saw the powerful businessman but only those close to him could see how selfish and self-absorbed in greed he was, this is one reason he failed as a father and a husband

Not only did Vanderbilt ignore his daughter he also had his son Cornelius Jeremiah committed to a lunatic asylum after trying to running away to California. Vanderbilt willed $95,000,000 to son William but only $500,000 to each his eight daughters. His second wife received a $500,000 in cash, their modest New York City home, and 2,000 shares of common stock in New York Central Railroad. He left his daughters less than anyone and they tried to go to court and label him as delusional but, the only thing he really was a narcissistic philanthropy who hated giving his money away. Cornelius Jeremiah committed suicide in 1882 ,three years after the failed court case between three of his daughters and Cornelius Jeremiah. Vanderbilt's public perception was that of a vulgar, mean-spirited individual who made life miserable for everyone around him, including his family. In his will, he disowned his sons except for William who was as ruthless in business as his father and the one Cornelius believed capable of maintaining the business empire. He lived simply, leaving his kids to build lots of Vanderbilt houses that characterize Then Gilded Age. Cornelius Vanderbilt was buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island. Vanderbilt had acived so much in his life but